KOS lost a member and very dear friend recently. Peg joined KOS in 1990 (a member for 34 years), was a 3 time Past President (in 1996, 2004 and 2005), and was awarded the Orchid Digest Diamond Service Award in 2014. She participated in all facets of club activities with enthusiasm and dedication. We will all certainly miss her and extend our condolences to her family, including her daughter, Kathy, who is also a member of the society.
Margaret “Peg” Ruth Revell, 89, passed away on April 3, 2024. She is survived by her husband Richard of 68 years, her sister Judy Stacey, her children Kathleen (Kathy) Revell, Karen Steltenpohl (Frank) and Kenneth Revell (Angie), her grandchildren, Nicole Palmer (Shawn), Eric Steltenpohl (Sharon) and Emily O’Reilly (Cavan), and her great-grandchildren, Matthew Palmer and Molly O’Reilly.
Peg was born on December 9, 1934 in Willimantic, Connecticut to Ruth and John Heldman, Jr. They moved to Bloomington, Indiana in 1935, and then to Louisville, Kentucky in 1937, just in time for the big flood. Her childhood summers were spent in Huron, Ohio, fishing with her grandparents. She attended Prestonia Elementary School, Auburndale School, and Valley High School, graduating in 1952. While at Valley, Peg played basketball and field hockey, and majored in home economics.
After high school graduation, Peg attended the University of Louisville, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Education. She was a member of Phi Delta Epsilon Honorary Collegiate Journalism Fraternity and Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.
In December of 1955, Peg married Richard A. Revell. She had a semester of student teaching remaining before graduation, and he was completing law school. After graduation, Peg taught 4th grade at Beechmont Elementary and John B. McFerran Elementary School until the birth of her oldest daughter. After her three children were all in school, Peg continued teaching as a substitute teacher at Anchorage Public School.
Peg was active within Anchorage Presbyterian Church, serving as a Sunday School teacher and playing in the bell choir. She also served on the board of the Church Bicentennial and wrote the history of Anchorage Presbyterian Church using the minutes of the Session. Peg was also active within her community, serving on the Board of the Anchorage Parent Teacher Association (APTA) as the newsletter editor, and serving as President of the Anchorage Civic Club. In 1982, Peg created the Anchorage Archives, where she served as the Director until recently. In 1990, Peg was elected to the Anchorage Citizen Council, a capacity in which she served for twelve years, and which she was awarded 1990 Anchorage Citizen of the Year. She was a long time member of the Owl Creek Garden Club, and handled correspondence for the Anchorage Botanical Society. Peg wrote the history of Anchorage Public School for their One Hundred Year Celebration, and led the book Committee from start to finish for the book “The Village of Anchorage” by Samuel W. Thomas.
Peg’s love of flowers led her to begin growing orchids in her basement, a hobby that grew into a greenhouse being built to expand growing capacity. She became a member of the Kentucky Orchid Society, serving several times as President, Orchid Show Chairman, and Newsletter Editor. Peg was also a member of the American Orchid Society, serving as the Kentucky National Representative, and a member of the Mid-American Orchid Congress. She loved showing her plants, and won many awards at orchid shows.
In her spare time, Peg loved to tend to her orchids, daylilies and other flowers, was an avid reader of biographies and American History, and enjoyed watching her hummingbirds.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Anchorage Presbyterian Church, The Kentucky Orchid Society or a charity of your choice.
Visitation will be held from 3-8PM on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at Arch L. Heady & Son at Westport Village, 7410 Westport Rd., Louisville KY 40222. A funeral service will be held at 10AM on Wednesday, April 10, 2024 at Anchorage Presbyterian Church, 11403 Park Rd, Anchorage, KY 40223 with interment to follow at Cave Hill Cemetery.
Kentucky Orchid Society 